Background:
The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Genghis KHAN
they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire
was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke
apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their
original steppe homelands and came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won
its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was
installed in 1924. During the early 1990s, the ex-Communist
Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its
monopoly on power to the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC), which
defeated the MPRP in a national election in 1996. Over the next four
years, the DUC put forward a number of key reforms to modernize the
economy and to democratize the political system. The former
Communists were a strong opposition that stalled additional
restructuring and made implementation difficult. In 2000, the MPRP
won an overwhelming victory in the legislature - with 72 of the 76
seats - and completely reshuffled the government. While it continues
many of the reform policies, the MPRP has focused on social welfare
and public order priorities.